Altech Batteries is pumping out its high-tech Silumina anodes from its German pilot plant, marking a milestone for the company as it supplies first product to potential customers for testing and sets itself up for future commercial production.
The new-age technology has achieved a significant breakthrough by coating silicon particles with a nanolayer of alumina. The high-tech particles are then sandwiched between graphite layers to form the anodes. The process has been shown to boost the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries by 55 per cent.
The technology incorporates Altech’s advanced alumina coating, as well as an optimised silicon content and the company’s spherification method of forming silicon into sphere-shaped particles to provide a game-changing performance and a significant boost in the energy capacity.
Silicon use in battery anodes has had two major drawbacks. The particles can expand by up to 300 per cent while batteries charge, leading to swelling, fracturing and ultimately, battery failure. Silicon can also deactivate a high percentage of lithium-ions, thereby reducing battery performance and lifespan.
Altech says its testwork confirms that modifying the silicon particles with the alumina coating resolves these issues, which caused first-cycle capacity loss of up to 50 per cent. It notes its testwork shows stable battery and cycling performance. Initial issues with the dispersion of the silicon particles within the graphite mix were resolved by the spherification process.
Altech Batteries managing director Iggy Tan said: “The next generation of our development… has successfully addressed the long-standing challenges of silicon, namely swelling and rapid degradation. We've achieved a battery with 50 per cent higher energy density and enhanced cycle life, all with a modest addition of silicon.”
The company has recently built a pilot plant in Saxony, Germany, adjacent to its proposed commercial project site, which is producing its Silumina anodes.
Altech is supplying anodes to several European vehicle manufacturers under non-disclosure agreements.
Silicon has about 10-times the energy retention capacity of graphite, making it an ideal addition to anodes to help mould the next-generation of lithium-ion batteries.
The significant increase in retention capacity from the high-tech improvement has resulted in a jump to about 500 milliampere hours per gram mass (mAh/g) for the company’s anodes, in comparison to an average lithium-ion battery anode of 320mAh/g.
If customer testing proves successful, Altech may have kicked open a door and pushed itself to the head of a global queue for anode supplies to electric vehicle battery manufacturers.
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By Craig Nolan
